Understanding your idea recipient’s “moment of decision” personality (How, Now, Me or We) can help set the stage for greater acceptance and persuasion. In the case of “How” personalities, remember Missouri’s motto: The Show Me State.

How will this idea work, exactly? What are its ingredients, their ratios and timing? How many people will this idea need to succeed? Can you articulate this idea’s process as specifically as possible? What are this idea’s costs, line item by line item?

At the moment of decision, a How personality desires lots of evidence.

They appreciate clearly defined KPIs, an AICP bid form, wireframes, the terms and conditions. They’ll read the scene captions for each frame of a storyboard. They don’t mind reviewing the engine diagram. Again. The How personality will read the entire contract. They clarify. The CFO stereotype comes to mind.

Again—this is not a rigid archetype. Few are solely Hows all the time. What we’re concerned with is the moment when a How is forced to sign, to move forward, to approve. What does this personality type need from you, your team and your idea to agree?

Prepare for approvals with a How to take a long time. Prepare to review everything previously reviewed and approved, again. Have your documentation, your backup materials, your sources at the ready. I’m sometimes a How, especially when forced to make the call on highly technical scenarios. Many of us become Hows during the process of filing out a mortgage application.

You might notice a How personality by their comfort around paperwork and lots of data. Hows are often thorough note takers. They prefer a stated agenda for meetings in advance.

Success with Hows boils down to diligence and patience. We’re not talking about attitudes here; instead, slow down—consider the audience’s needs. A How personality needs you to walk with them awhile, to acknowledge the grandeur of components and complexity. You might often have better success selling a complex application or formula if the main client is a How, versus a Me. A How personality will relish the mechanics of craftsmanship and articulation.

How personalities buy ideas all the time, especially when it’s clear you've done your homework.